Cairo billboard hacked to show porn

A digital advertising screen on Cairo's 26th of July Axis displayed pornographic video on Thursday, interrupting traffic on one of Egypt's busiest highways. Drivers stopped their vehicles to record the incident, sending the footage to social media platforms where it gained rapid attention.

The video contained on-screen text reading "Leaked by: Ch, 19ylegal never and nivex" alongside a Telegram username, @LeakersGov. On Friday, that account posted a message criticizing the government. It stated that Egypt remains under a dictatorship, with power maintained through repression while the country struggles to progress.

Egypt's interior ministry attributed the glitch to a cyberattack on the website of an international company that held the contract for the advertising firm managing the screen. The ministry explained that the breach allowed unauthorized footage to broadcast simultaneously in several other countries. It did not name the international firm or list the other affected nations.

Local media reports indicate that sexually explicit footage appeared on electronic billboards in Iraq, Malaysia, and Brazil during the same period. The ministry confirmed that legal proceedings have been initiated regarding the incident.

Egypt has operated under military-led rule since 2013, following the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood. The incident occurred in a society that often enforces strict moral codes aligned with Islamic sharia law. Reactions on social media were split, with many users expressing shock while others found the situation humorous.

This is not the first time local authorities have had to switch off electronic advertising boards after similar breaches. Egyptian courts have attempted to block pornographic websites, yet private online access remains common. According to Pornhub Insights, the North African nation ranked in the top 20 countries for visits to pornography sites in 2025, behind the United States which held the top spot.